Method and device for locating game shot with an arrow

ABSTRACT

The invention disclosed herein is a device and method to enable a bow hunter to track a game animal wounded with an arrow through brush or conditions of low light. The device disclosed herein is composed of a hollow cylindrical tube which is beveled to a sharp point on the end of the tube which enters the body of the animal first. Inside the hollow cylindrical tube is a battery and GPS microchip which, on impacting the animal&#39;s body makes contact so as to provide electrical power to the GPS microchip. The GPS microchip then emits a GPS signal which can be detected by a GPS receiver and direct the bow hunter to the wounded animal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application seeks priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 61/397,334 filed on Jun. 10, 2010.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

The invention disclosed herein was not the subject of any federallysponsored research or development.

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hunting game animals with bow and arrow has been a necessity and sportfor many centuries. The bow hunter enters the prey's habitat in thewilderness and either stalks his game or lies in wait for the game toappear. When the bow hunter sights his quarry, the bow hunter takes aimand shoots an arrow at the game animal to mortally injure the gameanimal. On some occasions the arrow may strike the game animal and killit instantly or very quickly. In that event, the game animal drops tothe ground at or near where it was struck with the bow hunter's arrow.Finding this dead animal in the brush is relatively easy. The bow huntertravels to the place where he last saw the game animal after firing thearrow and usually finds the game animal.

In some situations, however, the game animal is not immediately killedby the arrow and may run a great distance into the brush from the placein which the game animal was struck by the arrow. When the injured gameanimal runs away into the brush, it may be very difficult, if notimpossible to find the game animal. In the event the game animal is notfound, the meat which might be obtained from the game animal is wasted.What is needed in the art is a method by which a game animal which hasbeen shot by a bow hunter's arrow and which runs off into the brush maybe easily tracked and found.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention disclosed herein is a device and method by which an animalwhich has been shot by a bow hunter's arrow and who runs into the brushmay be easily tracked and found. The invention consists of a smallhollow cylindrical tube, beveled to a sharp point at one end attached tothe arrow tip. One type of arrow tip is a broadhead. Inside the smallhollow cylindrical tube beveled to a sharp point at one end is a batterypowered global positioning system (GPS) tracking chip which is lodgedinto the skin or outer musculature of the game animal when the arrowimpacts the game animal. Once lodged into the skin or outer musculatureof the game animal, the GPS tracking chip is activated and sends out asignal which may be detected with a GPS receiver. The GPS receiver maybe developed as a software program which may be downloaded onto anywireless electronic device that will allow software applicationsdownloads. When the game animal, injured by the bow hunter's arrow runsinto the brush, the GPS tracking chip sends a signal which is detectedby a GPS receiver carried by the bow hunter. The coordinates of the GPSsignal received from the GPS tracking chip attached to the injured gameanimal may be plotted by the GPS receiver and by following thosecoordinates the injured game animal may be found. The meat from the gameanimal may then be harvested for consumption rather than wasted.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ATTACHED DRAWING FIGURES

A better understanding of the invention disclosed herein may be had byexamination of the drawing figures described as follows:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the tip of the arrow's broadhead tip showingthe hollow cylindrical tube containing the GPS tracking chip and powersupply attached to the broadhead tip of the arrow.

FIG. 2 is an oblique side view of the broadhead tip of the arrow showingthe arrangement of the hollow cylindrical tube containing the GPStracking chip and power supply as attached to the broadhead tip of thearrow.

FIG. 3. Is a top view of the broadhead tip of the arrow showing theattachment of the hollow cylindrical tube containing the GPS trackingchip and power supply to the broadhead tip of the arrow.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the broadhead tip of the arrow showing theattachment of the hollow cylindrical tube containing the GPS trackingchip and power supply to the broadhead tip of the arrow.

FIG. 5 is a side view and cross section of the hollow cylindrical tubedemonstrating the arrangement of the battery and GPS tracking chipinside the hollow cylindrical tube.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the broadhead tip of the arrow demonstratingthat the hollow cylindrical tube containing the GPS tracking chip andbattery separates from the broadhead tip of the arrow after entering thebody of the game animal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION DISCLOSED HEREIN

In one embodiment of the invention disclosed herein and as shown inFIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, a hollow cylindrical tube 2 containing a GPSsignal emitting device such as a GPS tracking chip and a power supplysuch as a battery is attached to the broadhead tip 1 of the arrow withthe beveled end 8 of the hollow cylindrical tube 2 facing toward thefront of the broadhead tip 1 of the arrow and toward the direction oftravel of the arrow. The hollow cylindrical tube 2 consists of a firstend 8 which is beveled to a sharp point and a second end 7 which is theend opposite the first end 8. The first end 8 and second end 7 of thehollow cylindrical tube 2 are separated by a body. An antenna 10 extendsoutside the second end 7 of the hollow cylindrical tube 2. On the topside of the hollow cylindrical tube 2 is a barb 9 which attaches to theflesh of the animal and prevents the hollow cylindrical tube 2 frombecoming dislodged from the animal. Both the first end 8 and the secondend 7 of the hollow cylindrical tube 2 are sealed. This arrangement withthe first end beveled to a sharp point 8 of the hollow cylindrical tube2 facing toward the direction of the arrow's flight facilitates entry ofthe hollow cylindrical tube 2 containing the GPS tracking chip andbattery into the skin of the game animal. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4the hollow cylindrical tube 2 containing the GPS tracking chip andbattery is attached to a broadhead tip 1 of an arrow. In otherembodiments of the invention disclosed herein, the hollow cylindricaltube 2 containing the GPS tracking chip and battery could be attached tomany different types, shapes and sizes of arrow tips.

FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the hollow cylindrical tube 2 in whichthe arrangement of the GPS tracking chip 3 and battery 4 within the bodyof the hollow cylindrical tube 2 is shown. The GPS tracking chip 3 islocated nearer to the first end 8, which is beveled to a sharp point, ofthe hollow cylindrical tube 2 as compared to the battery 4 which islocated toward the second end 7 of the hollow cylindrical tube 2. A gap5 exists between the GPS tracking chip 3 and the battery 4. The purposeof the gap 5 is to prevent premature discharge of the battery's 4electric power while the arrow is in storage or otherwise not in actualuse in hunting for a game animal. The antenna 10 is attached to the GPStracking chip 3.

As shown, FIG. 6, two events occur when the arrow tip 1 enters the bodyof the game animal 6. First, the hollow cylindrical tube 2 containingthe GPS tracking chip 3 and battery 4 separates from the broadhead tip 1of the arrow and remains located in the skin and musculature of the gameanimal. The barb 9 located on the body of the hollow cylindrical tube 2attaches to the flesh of the animal and prevents the hollow cylindricaltube 2 containing the GPS tracking chip 3 and battery 4 from becomingdislodged and falling out of the animal. The antenna 10 which extendsout of the second end 7 of the hollow cylindrical tube 2 is connected tothe GPS microchip 3 and is of sufficient length to extend outside of theanimal 6 so that the GPS signal generated by the GPS tracking chip 3 maybe detected by a GPS receiver. Second, the force of impact of the arrowwith its broadhead tip 1 to which the hollow cylindrical tube 2containing the GPS tracking chip 3 and battery 4 is attached, causes theGPS tracking device 3 and battery 4 to come into contact eliminating thegap 5 shown in FIG. 5. Bringing the GPS tracking chip 3 into contactwith the battery 4 causes a flow of electricity from the battery 4 tothe GPS tracking chip 3. Now supplied with electricity from the battery4, the GPS tracking chip 3 can send out a GPS signal which can bedetected by a GPS receiver. The bow hunter carrying a GPS receiver cannow track the injured animal which may have run some distance into thebrush. By following the GPS signal emitted by the GPS tracking chip 3,the hunter can find the animal and harvest the meat for consumption. Anydevice which can detect a GPS signal may be used to capture the GPSsignal emitted from the GPS tracking chip 3. Those devices includededicated GPS receivers and other wireless electronic devices equippedcapable of capturing GPS signals and displaying the direction from whichthe GPS signal is coming. The invention disclosed herein also permits abow hunter to track the animal bearing the hollow cylindrical tubecontaining the battery and GPS tracking chip in low light conditions.

The invention disclosed herein is susceptible to many different andvaried embodiments. Each of those other embodiments are included withinthe scope of the specification disclosed herein and as defined by theclaims.

1. A device attached to the tip of a bow hunter's arrow which enablesthe bow hunter to track a wounded animal through the brush comprising: Ahollow cylindrical tube composed of a first end connected to a secondend by a body; Said first end of said hollow cylindrical tube is beveledto a sharp point and said hollow cylindrical tube is detachably affixedto said tip of said arrow such that said hollow cylindrical tube isparallel to the body of said tip of said arrow and said first end ispointing in the direction of travel of said arrow; A GPS signal emittingdevice and power source contained within said body of said hollowcylindrical tube and separated by a space; An antenna attached to saidGPS signal emitting device and extending through said second end andexternal to said hollow cylindrical tube. Whereby, when an arrow towhich the hollow cylindrical tube containing the GPS signal emittingdevice and power supply strikes a game animal, the hollow cylindricaldevice detaches from the arrow tip and the power supply comes intocontact with the GPS signal emitting device providing power to the GPSsignal emitting device so that the GPS signal emitting device transmitsa GPS signal which can be detected by a GPS receiver and direct the bowhunter to the location of the GPS signal emitting device embedded withinthe animal.
 2. The device attached to the tip of the bow hunter's arrowwhich enables the bow hunter to track a wounded animal through the brushas defined in claim 1 wherein said power source is a battery.
 3. Thedevice attached to the tip of the bow hunter's arrow which enables thebow hunter to track a wounded animal through the brush as defined inclaim 1 wherein said GPS signal emitting device is a GPS trackingmicrochip.
 4. A method for tracking an animal wounded by a bow hunter'sarrow comprising steps of: Inserting a GPS signal emitting device andpower source inside the body of a hollow cylindrical tube beveled to asharp point at the first end and having a second end opposite the firstend and connected to the second end by said body; Attaching an antennato said GPS signal emitting device and extending said antenna out ofsaid hollow cylindrical tube through the second end of said hollowcylindrical tube; Attaching detachably the said hollow cylindrical tubeto the tip of the arrow in such a manner so that said first end of saidhollow cylindrical tube is pointing in the direction of the arrow'sflight; Aiming at an animal, said arrow to which has been attached saidhollow cylindrical tube beveled to a sharp point at said first end andcontaining within said body of said hollow cylindrical tube a GPS signalemitting device and power source; Shooting the animal with said arrow towhich has been attached to the tip of said arrow said hollow cylindricaltube containing within said body of said hollow cylindrical tube a GPSemitting device and a power source configured in such a manner so thatwhen said arrow strikes the animal, said power source comes into contactwith said GPS signal emitting device supplying electricity to said GPSsignal emitting device causing said GPS signal emitting device to emit aGPS signal; Tracking the animal shot with said arrow to which has beenattached to the tip of said arrow said hollow cylindrical tubecontaining within said body of said cylindrical tube said power sourceand said GPS signal emitting device which emits a GPS signal which isdetected by a GPS receiver.
 5. The method for tracking an animal woundedby a bow hunter's arrow as defined in claim 4 wherein said GPS signalemitting device is a GPS tracking microchip.
 6. The method for trackingan animal wounded by a bow hunter's arrow as defined in claim 4 whereinsaid power source is a battery.